What does this beauty spot have in common with the England 23 selected to play Ireland on Sunday?
The only other exciting news to report is that Ticht found an old version of AoD still extant.
On the telly this week
Friday 21st February
| Crusaders 33 – 13 Highlanders | 06:05 | Sky Sports Action |
| Wales U20 14 – 11 France U20 | 19:35 | BBC Two Wales / BBC Sport website/ BBC red button |
| Zebre 0 – 28 Munster | 19:35 | FreeSports |
| Edinburgh 41 – 14 Connacht | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Ospreys 13 – 21 Leinster | 19:35 | TG4 / Premier Sports 1 |
| England U20 21 – 39 Ireland U20 | 19:45 | RTÉ Two / YouTube / Sky Sports Mix |
| Sale 36 – 3 Leicester | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 22nd February
| Rebels 34 – 26 Sharks | 03:45 | Sky Sports Action |
| Chiefs 14 – 26 Brumbies | 06:05 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Reds 64 – 5 Sunwolves | 08:15 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Stormers v Los Jaguares | 13:05 | Sky Sports Action |
| Italy v Scotland | 14:15 | ITV |
| Bulls v Blues | 15:15 | Sky Sports Action |
| Wales v France | 16:45 | BBC One / S4C |
| Glasgow v Dragons | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Ulster v Cheetahs | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
Sunday 23rd February
| Wales v France (women) | 12:00 | BBC Two Wales / S4C |
| England v Ireland (women) | 12:45 | RTÉ Two / BBC Sport website / Sky Sports Action |
| Exeter v Northampton | 13:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| England v Ireland | 15:00 | ITV |
| Italy v Scotland (women) | 16:10 | BBC Alba / website / red button |
| Cardiff v Treviso | 17:15 | S4C / Premier Sports 2 |
| Scarlets v Southern Kings | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Didn’t mean to hound everyone out.
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I’d never heard of a stressed or unstressed syllable till the 3rd funniest member of the Coren family through a hissy fit about it
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/jul/23/mediamonkey
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I liked Tovey at Edinburgh, he had moments of genuine class, it was that they were so far apart that was the problem
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I think Yos liked him at Edinburgh too. It was that he was so far away that was the best thing.
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‘Apart’ worked better than ‘away’ for fuck’s sake. Bloody useless subeditors.
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Shame Wales weren’t better on Saturday. Never mind.
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Shit, have I been facted?
In that case it probably is the first. But when you say it in common parlance it all sounds pretty much the same stress. And reading it you probably think that it is BidDENden.
Maybe minor stress in the first syllable. I keep saying it and can’t decide.
And awkward word.
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“And awkward word.”
You can say that again.
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“Shit, have I been facted?
In that case it probably is the first.”
Pretty sure you’ve been facted before.
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An awkward word.
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Pretty sure you’ve been facted before.
Skool and shit.
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I don’t really mind being facted tbh. I probably should have known that but there we go.
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TomP doesn’t really mind doing it either so it’s nice to see Ovally Balls working for everyone.
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Last day in Angola today. I have a wicked hangover. All these words are pronounced as ritten.
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Wicked, as in Ali G Wicked, or wicked as as in auld English (you wicked child)?
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More wicked than Ali G, but not as wicked as the English in general (obviously).
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Highlanders beaten in Dunedin by some Aussie team.
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OT, I think you rate GC too high in the family funniness rankings.
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Am sure Mousehoule in Cornwall’s got the pronunciation it’s got because the locals think pronouncing it Mousehole like a mouse hole would make them look silly.
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What sport is that?
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Waratahs score within 5 against Deebee’s Lions. Angus Bell, a 19-year-old prop, was the scorer.
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French people keep getting Orléans wrong. Louisianans make a better fist of it.
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Horrible video on Twitter of Highlanders flanker breaking his ankle
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Waratahs 3 tries up now but with their flanker binned for a late no-arms tackle on Jantjies. Kearns bleating about something.
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“Highlanders beaten in Dunedin by some Aussie team.”
I picked a good season to let my Sky Sports subscription slide.
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@tomp
You are right. What I said didn’t really convey my real thoughts about Giles Coren. I should have described him as rather-untalented-beneficiary-of-nepotism-wouldn’t-be-anywhere-without-his-infinitely-more-talented-father.
In a parallel universe where his Dad wasn’t Alan Coren, GC would more likely have been the editor who made a minor error on some other nepotist’s copy.
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19-10 to Waratahs at the vegemite sandwiches. Lions scored from a line-out maul. Not glorious rugby in the last 20 from either side.
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OT, I’d read that thing before but not for a while. It never fails to delight.
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@tomp
I like to imagine his little feet stomping on the floor in fury when it was leaked.
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Waratahs have got a few young lads on the park today – Bell, Harrison the outside half and Nawaqanitawase on the wing. All 20 or under.
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OT, a bit of that. As likely is that he read it again and thought, “That is fucking writing.”
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Well that GC letter was…. something
‘There is no length issue. This is someone thinking “I’ll just remove this indefinite article because Coren is an illiterate cunt and i know best”.
Well, you fucking don’t.’
Seems to have a very high opinion of himself, doesn’t he?
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Bonus space news of the week
For those of you that have a VERY poor understanding of just how big space is, it is about the equivalent of Swindon exploding and disappearing forever.
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Tahs score a pretty good counter-attacking try. Lions are huffing and puffing but not doing much,. 24-10.
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James Ramm scored the try. Phil Kearns bleating in an excited way on the replay.
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Marnus Schoeman gets his second after another forward drive from a line-out that led to quick ball and a fall over the line for MS. 24-17.
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Beale misses a very very gettable penalty.
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Just read it – comes off as deranged…..
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Willem Alberts on for the Lions. Drops a dolly first up.
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@trisk
His entire schtick is based on bullshit. He stormed out of an interview that was meant to discuss his book on anger management:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/press/what-makes-coren-so-cross-1986723.html
But the most revealing thing is that he appears on telly programmes to discuss things in a very serious and high brow way he hasn’t seen or read:
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Now he wrote a very widely-read review of Kerry, Killarney, and the local fish and chip “restaurant” (what do you call a chipper that is basically all sit-down – no carryout??) – Google it – but it’s behind the Times paywall.
He’s probably on a freebie any time he comes back…
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Tovey will be the worst starting outside half in professional rugby
Are you familiar with the work of Mitch Hunt? (not a made up name)
You will be pleasantly surprised
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Poor Jason. Mixed some great play with a load of ‘what was that, seriously, WTAF was that’ moments when he was at Embra.
Our current FHs aren’t exactly world beaters but a significant step up on Tovey in terms of consistency.
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Whilst i’m on the subject of the Highlanders game, kudos to the NZ broadcast team.
Player goes down with a hideous leg injury and, rather than slo-mo replays, the commentators wish him well, the footage goes to a flashback game, returns live to see the player on the buggy with teammates and opponents clapping him off.
Well done
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Chimpie, the U20s fly half Nathan Chamberlain has shown up well, in a possibly Refit-displeasing idea, I wonder how he sees his long-term future? He is currently with Bristol, being born and bred there, but he could make a go of it in Edinburgh, perhaps.
There are the issues of RFU incentives for keeping players on who have been developed through a club’s academy system – Sarries used to get heaps added to their salary cap for this, I seem to recall.
Callum McLelland is the one that got away, a great prospect who never took to life and rugby in Scotland
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I don’t know if this is worth bringing over here or not, but I’ll give it a go. We were musing on fly half situation at Embra over on the Gunners’ forum, I said the following
Really good fly halves are worth their weight in gold. France have 28 professional teams, seemingly bags of money, a fiercely competitive domestic structure and yet Ntamack is possibly the first really good 10 they’ve had in a long time, and he is only starting. Similarly England have Ford and Farrell, Smith coming up and Cipriani who is too flaky for the modern game.
Wales have done okay at developing tens, but even they brought in Anscome. Ireland, after all the domestic success, have had O’Gara then Sexton, the former very good, the latter one of the best in the game but his star is on the wane. Carberry was developed in Ireland and the young laddie Byrne at Leinster looks like he is the future, but it’s hardly a conveyor belt.
Who was the last truly outstanding South African fly half? When you think of how many players they have you’d think there would have been someone since Naas Botha who would challenge for the World XV of their era, but I can’t think of one who would get in front of Wilkinson or Carter or Sexton.
New Zealand is about the only country that produces really good 10s consistently.
I don’t really have a point regarding who Edinburgh should be looking at, but I reckon it’s more difficult to find the right one than some might think.
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Maybe there’s a bit too much expectation on what a FH has to do?
There’s not as much space and time to operate in this days which makes it more difficult to try and do that intangible thing, running a game.
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@ticht
This is most astute. No position needs to live up to the expectations of the past, yet deal with the realities of the present, than the 10.
Many of the legendary players played 10. In a game that was one dominated by forwards scrapping it out to get the ball, the 10 was where the occasional good ball went. He could then make something happen against defences that were, by and large, disorganised and a wee bit slow
The modern 10 spends a lot of time tackling big hard running forwards or 12s who are charging off quick ball, phase after phase after phase.
Yes, the modern chap gets a lot more ball than his amateur predecessor, but the defence is in his face and has to make split second decisions
I have no idea of Edinburghs options at 10. You are right that a 10 who can thrive in the modern game at the top end is worth his weight in gold. Scotland have 2 very good ones, albeit one is in purdah and the other had a poor game last time out.
Not sure NZ are that much of a factory in recent years. Yes, Carter, Cruden, Barrett, but not sure of Mo’Unga and even less sure of whatever others they have.
I would put Henry Honiball, Joel Stransky, Butch James and Handre Pollard as top quality SA FHs post Botha. Ok, none were really world XV, but most weren’t far off. Only 1 player at a time can be world XV FH. Right now, I would have Pollard on the bench for world XV, replacing BDB at the 60 min mark or so
(although he wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, Morne Steyn was a good player in his time)
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To quote Jiffy, on his return to RU in the late 90s
“when I left union, the job of the flanker was to tackle the 10. I’ve come back and now its the other way around”
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Put another way, when I was growing up everyone wanted to play 10. I was lucky enough to play quite a few games there in my playing days.
If I was 14 years old now, I would want to play 7 or 15 (but would probably be told to play 9 – or more likely be told I was too small and to go and play soccer)
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